Cooperators
International Centre for Dialogue among Civilizations
United Nations Branches in the Islamic Republic of Iran
Institute for Political and International Studies
Iranian National Commission for UNESCO
Islamic Human Rights Commission

Objectives
and Programs

:

In the
last decade the issue of human rights and its related topics have been brought
to the attention of international community.

As a focal point, the discourse of "Dialogue among Civilizations" in
the new millennium was proposed by the erudite thinker His Excellency President
Khatami on behalf of the enlightened people of I. R. of Iran. The approval and
consensus of the representatives of different countries indicates the special
importance that the international community attaches to peacemaking, friendship,
peaceful coexistence, protection of human dignity, and equality in human rights.

On the other hand, there are the misconceptions ascribed to some of Islamic laws
including the iniquities of some Islamic communities, that create political and
social misunderstandings between Muslims and others, and thus result in grievous
harm to the countries' security and peaceful coexistence.

As Mofid University has adopted as a principal stance the grave mission of
clarifying the precise thoughts of Islam from its early days to present, it has
strived to the extent of its capacity to study and research the theoretical and
philosophical dimensions of human rights.

Among the activities of the university are arranging speeches, a panel sitting
scholars and dignitaries of various sectors of the United Nations, and
publication and distribution of several articles on issues related to human
rights in the Quarterly Journal of Mofid University.

In the educational curriculum of Mofid University's Faculty of Law, the course
of "Human Rights in Islam" has been upgraded to two credits (2 hours)
since 1992, whereas in the official law graduate education it is an optional,
single credit.

Efforts have been made to direct research and investigative works of graduate
and postgraduate students towards human rights issues. Consequently, Mofid
students of the Department of International Law are presently engaged in the
preparation of five thesis in the field of human rights.

As another endeavor, the university has been for almost a year researching,
planning and providing for the initial staging of a conference entitled"The International Conference on Human Rights and Dialogue of
Civilizations".

Dialogue for the purpose of identifying the integral components of human rights
and the proximity of varying views in this regard is a prerequisite for the
dialogue between religions and civilizations. Therefore, aiming for a real and
purposeful dialogue will be impossible or futile before the resolution of
conflicting thoughts in the area of human rights. The organizers of the
conference hope that by staging this event they will be able to attract as much
of the attention of Iranian thinkers as possible to the research projects on
human rights issues.

The topics of the conference are:

1. Theoretical basis of human rights

2. Religions, civilizations, and freedom of belief and religion

3. Religions and religious minorities

4. Freedom of thought and speech from the viewpoint of religions and
civilizations

5. Religions, civilizations, and rights of people (the so-called Third
Generation of Human Rights)

6. Religions, civilizations, and gender issues

7. Practical aspects of human rights

Collection and publication of selected articles of the conference will be a step
towards the formation of academic resources in this subject.

Different sections including a High Council, Secretariat, Scientific Committee,
Program and Planning Committee, International Affairs Committee and an
Administration Committee have been formed and are presently working on the
procedures.

The conference will be held on May 5th - 6th, 2001. During the two-day event
articles of outstanding excellence will be selected by the Scientific Committee
to be presented in the conference by their authors. ln addition to the presented
articles, a number of selected articles will be published by Mofid University.
It is also expected that on the sidelines of the conference round tables of
scientific discussions will be conducted with the presence of scholars and
thinkers.

Many research projects related to the theme of the conference are presently
being carried out by the Scientific Research Department of the University as
well as the secretariat of the conference. Other activities of the conference
include an exhibition of books, articles and documents on the subjects related
to the human rights.

Viatcheslav
Morozov
(Asst. Prof. School of International Relations, St. Petersburg, State
University, Russia)“Westernisers, Eurasianists and Human Rights: on the Conceptual
Background of the Russian Foreign Policy"

Over
the last few years, both Muslim and Western intellectuals have held a number of
conferences - some of them quite successful - in which the "dialogue of
civilizations" has been the primary topic of debate. However, while these
thinkers have largely agreed as to what they mean by "dialogue", there
is little consensus as to "civilizations".

This paper proposes to examine this debate over the meaning and significance of
the notion of a "dialogue of civilizations" by analyzing the
contribution that president Mohammad Khatami has made to this debate. President
Khatami's ideas are important for several reasons. First, as president of a
country that is striving to find common ground with Western nations after years
of conflict and discord, Khatami offers an active and practical example of a
"dialogue of civilizations."

Second, president Khatami himself has been a leading and influential proponent
of this idea. Third, in his writings, interviews and press conference, president
Khatami has proposed a series of intriguing ideas and concepts that push the
notion of a "dialogue of civilizations" in new and interesting
direction. This paper will focus on these ideas, and in so doing show how and
why the notion of such a "dialogue" is itself an evolving and
multi-faceted phenomenon.

This
paper suggests a methodology for inter-civilizational communication between Arab
Muslim culture and Western culture. The thesis of this paper stems from the
belief that cross-cultural communication is a prerequisite for inter-civilizational
dialogue and interaction. The proposed methodology is based on the clarification
and understanding of the following dimensions: (1) the subjective dimension,
which is concerned with factors, and characteristics relevant to (us) self-knowledge.
This knowledge will include our frame of reference, ideological, moral values,
our epistemology and world-view. The purpose of this knowledge is to build a
sound understanding of our collective identity in its core, historic and
contemporary manifestations; (2) the objective dimension aims at achieving a
vital and authentic understanding of (them) the Western culture. This
knowledge includes intellectual, ideological and epistemological bases of
Western culture within its historic and contemporary developments; (3) the
shared and common experience between the two cultures. The writer purports that
a wide range of common and shared intellectual, ideological and religious points
of convergence exist between the two cultures. This common experience serves as
a building block for a sound dialogue and mutual agenda.

Finally
the paper suggests ways and means to translate this theoretical thesis into
individual and institutional interactions between intellectuals and scholars
from the two great human cultures.

The
term "freedom" is familiar to human nature, since it has been bestowed
on man by his Creator. Freedom of opinion and expression is the most important
and transparent among the whole set of freedoms.

Islam has recognized this freedom both in theory and practice and warned man
against blind imitation; but, on the other hand has considered him responsible
in exercising his freedom and laid down certain restrictions on this kind of
freedom. Islam respects freedom of expression in establishing the truth and
achieving the right opinion. This freedom manifests itself in three practical,
political and religious aspects, surrounded by two conditions: one internal,
which is the rule of reason and conscience and another external specified by the
law. Believers in religions have recognized freedom of opinion in three ways: 1)
Material only, like the Jews; 2) Spiritual alone, like Christians; and 3) Both
material and spiritual, like Muslims.

Islam
respects the free choice of belief for non-Muslims which has three
characteristics: 1) Impossibility of controlling thought and opinion; 2) The
individual's freedom in choosing a belief whatever; and 3) Freedom in exercising
the chosen belief.

***

Human
Rights and Dialogue of Civilizations

G.
F. McLean

Professor
of Philosophy,
Council for Research in values and philosophy, Washington, DC, USA

Much
of the theory of human rights has been developed in the abstract and objective
environment of Western rationalism. In order to have a true dialogue of
civilizations it is necessary to open this horizon to integrate dimensions of
human subjectivity. This should allow for a more interior reading of human
freedom as it shapes patterns of values and virtues, which in turn coalesce into
various cultures, and ultimately into multiple civilizations.

The
challenge then is to see if human freedom in and as the human search of the,
good can effectively legislate for itself a human rights agenda. That is, is it
possible to see human rights not as an abstraction from life or an imposition
upon a culture, but as an expression of that human freedom whereby a culture is
formed? If so, human rights will be not imported from without, but supported
from within by the inexorable force by which a people, and a civilization works
out its destiny.

For
this an application of hermeneutic tools is required in order to see how a
civilization can acquire normative authority in the life of a people and how
like a gyroscope it can adjust itself through time continually to promote the
human good - and human rights - in the concrete and evolving circumstances.

***

Logical
Foundations of
"Clash" or "Dialog" among Civilizations

Dr.
Sayed Hossein Seifzadeh
Faculty of law and political science of Tehran University

Beyond
the political-diplomatic aspects of the two theories of "clash" and
"dialog" among civilizations that result in different doctrines of
foreign policy, these theories originate in differing sociological,
psychological, ontological, and epistemological foundations. As the reflections
of varying individuals and social groups indicate, one can witness either an
evident gap or a harmony between the stated and the actual policies of
individuals as well as countries. Hermeneutic penetration into the depths of
different mentalities would reveal that such gap or harmony is sometimes
resulted from hidden layers of the -actor's mental tradition. It is most likely
that the acting individual or group is even unaware of such hidden layers. While
presenting a very general review of the existing differences between the two
mentioned theories and the likely reflections of both "clash" and
"dialog" actors, the article tries to disclose the sociological,
psychological, ontological, and epistemological foundations of these two
theories.

Based
on these mental foundations, the main hypothesis of this article will be
verified. The said hypothesis indicates that commitment to either of these two
alternative policies is a function of parameters created by the structural
foundations of the society or human psyche, or created by the actor's
ontological or epistemological mentalities.

***

The
Role of Tolerance and Right to Differencein Dialogue of Civilizations

1) The third millennium is the
age of communication progress and revolution and 'man has opted for dialogue as
a necessity. This progress is most likely to give birth to closeness and mutual
understanding among civilizations or. conversely, to line them opposite each
other, ready to engage in a conflict whose leadership is also the flag- bearer
of universalizing one particular civilization.

2)
Living in a world under justice and equity seems to be a dream out of reach.

3)
The term "human rights" is now used as an instrument especially in
economic field.

4) In the present day
approach to human rights, cultures and religions are ignored and thetheory
of "clash of civilizations" has been put forth believing in the real
clash taking lace between Western and Islamic or Chinese civilizations.

1)The call by the UNESCO to a dialogue was a reaction to the above belief.

2)Considering the interdependence in matters of communication and
information exchanges, the idea of isolationism reflects a mere illusion, in
today's world.

The realization of a favored dialogue of civilizations is dependent on
toleration and recognition of all civilizations and non-pursuit of hegemony by a
party to the dialogue and on the acceptance of truth.

***Universal
Human Rights and Cultural Integrity

William
Sweet
Department of philosophy, St. Francis Xavier University, Canada

This
paper touches on three questions: 1) Can there be a philosophic justification of
a doctrine of human rights? 2) Is a discourse of human rights inherently
accidental? 3) Could the promotion of a discourse of human rights violate the
cultural integrity of non-European/non-American societies?

These
questions, in turn, reflect various objections to human rights concept. The
paper approaches the triple questions/objections by dwelling on cultural
identity, which is conceived as the "unity" or "coherence"
of ideas and beliefs present in institutions and practices, that reflects the
"mind" of a group of parsons, including its goals and aspirations but
also its history and experience and environment and that serves to distinguish
that group from other groups, It is argued that cultural "identity" is
not just cultural" difference or what is unique. Though individuals may
have a cultural identity, strictly speaking, it is a property of groups, and not
so much a property of individuals. And so there is an "old" sense of
cultural identity, roughly meaning the "status quo", which, as the
paper argues, is an "obsolete" sense. Cultures, to live and thrive,
must be forward looking, so in place of cultural identity, it is proposed to
introduce the concept of "cultural integrity", which is taken to mean
"one's cultural identity open to new experience as interpreted by the
dominant ideas of that culture and yet also draws the existing culture and
traditions beyond where they are".

***

Universal
Human Rights Instruments:
Adoption or Non-Adoption –
Crisis of Dialogue or the Crisis of Fanaticism

Dr.
Nasr Hamed Abuzaid
Prof. at Leiden University , the Netherlands

The relevant questions on the
validity of the universal human rights instruments are whether they are Western
or universal; whether they are secular or religious; and whether they represent,
in matters of contents of the rights embodied therein, a particular cultural
system and reflects a special world-view, or represent a general human
consciousness or belief which is beyond particular cultural concepts.

The present study attempts to
pose a series of questions related to the issues of culture and civilization
including the adoption of either one of the principles of total incorporation of
cultures or their absolute separation from each other.

Also
presented are certain questions pointing to current obstacles in the so-called
Western culture and present problems in the culture claiming to be the Islamic
culture.